Hello, it is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter! This one is a bit of an homage to the Pokémon anime and certainly to the original trio as well as the Team Rocket trio. It's hard to believe that those days are over in the anime now and there will be new protagonists. They've all been around my entire life! But of course, they shall remain as present as ever in my own stories and I will continue doing what I have always done. I so enjoyed this one. It was fun to get silly with it and very anime-esque. I hope you enjoy a bit of an adventure where someone helps Jessie, James and Meowth attempt to capture Pikachu! :)
Looking back is something that humans often catch themselves doing and let me tell you, Pokémon are no different! All of my tales hold individual special spots in my heart, even the ones that I have nothing to do with. However, as I take this particular trip down memory lane, you will come to see that I am very much part of this story.
It would be wrong to say that this is my favorite kind of story because I don't mean it in that way! But oh, how I adore those early days.
I am so happy to begin.
Nightfall had already snatched Johto into its clutches a while ago and coldness was more than just nipping in the air. And yet it was only one of the Team Rocket trio who had their arms clasping around their body. The other two walked on in front.
When Jessie and Meowth turned around with their hands on their hips, no doubt could they see the way that James was doing his best (and failing) to conceal the fact that his body felt like it was going to match the blue of his hair from the inside out.
Both of them ignored this even if they had noticed this at all! And Jessie had quite the spring in her step as her gloved hands broke their distance from her hips and spread wide, gesturing wildly, and speaking loudly to her teammates and into the evening.
"This will do for the night, won't it?" she exclaimed. She acted like she had summoned the little area all by herself and as if it was a miracle.
If there had been any Pokémon late to roost, then they would have surely shot out of the trees in all directions at the loudness of her tone.
James was far too weary and far too cold to do anything other than raise his eyebrows up towards his hairline. Meowth, however, was never one to keep quiet either. And he didn't hesitate to march closer to the only woman of the team, stomping one of his elongated feet against her black boot.
He couldn't hurt Jessie there even if he wanted to. But still, this gesture paired with gleaming ice blue eyes up at her made their point.
"Keep ya voice down will ya?!" he hissed almost as if he was forgetting that he was a feline rather than a slithering creature before it was his turn to use his paws to gesture fiercely. "The twerps are only a few meters away!"
A few meters away was an exaggeration.
As Jessie, James and Meowth continue to survey their new camping grounds for the night, all three of them glanced around and knew that, not only were they safe by many more meters than a few, but the hedge that separated them was beneficial in keeping them undetected.
Be that as it may, Meowth did not want to take any risks. He didn't fancy waking up in the middle of the night to one of my electric attacks and I don't blame him!
I have to chuckle in hindsight.
Jessie might have easily ignored James' poor posture and his arms wrapping around his entire torso but Meowth stomping on her and berating her wasn't something that she took kindly too. She didn't hesitate to get the large-mouthed creature back by stomping in return on his long, furry foot and folding her own arms over her chest, possessing a much different attitude to James.
"Don't talk to me like that, Meowth, or getting busted by the twerps will be the last of your worries!" Jessie warned. But, like her teammate before her, she hissed out of the corner of her teeth and she did lower her voice before softening it entirely to look over at James instead. "You're sorting dinner, aren't you?"
Jessie's eyebrow shot up to the widow's peak of her magenta locks, indicating that she had noticed his sullen expression, even if she didn't address it in the way she addressed other things.
As four eyes expectantly fell on him, all James could do was accept the defeat of how earlier in the day he had let it slip that he had one biscuit leftover from a package that had been sent to a Pokémon Center for him a few days prior.
Letting a sigh free from his lips that could have caused the trees all around them to rustle, James' arms finally untangled from his body and reached into the back pocket of his white uniform trousers instead.
Both Jessie and Meowth's pupils became full moons when they spied the treat in the black gloved hand. It was bigger than they had expected and was decorated with chocolate chunks rather than raisins!
Before James could part his mouth for another reason and begin to suggest how they should split his treat, Meowth appeared next to his kneecap. With one, swift movement of the paw, it was in his clutches.
The feline's gaze glinted as much as his pointy teeth.
"On the count of three?" he suggested, although it was less like a suggestion and more like an order. These words informed James of the protocol and a twitching motion of Meowth's head towards Jessie encouraged her to come closer.
James didn't have the energy to protest with his words even if his stomach grumbled so loudly that he was surprised that neither of his teammates berated him for nearly alerting their presents to the twerps, as they called us.
What happened next was two of the Team Rocket trio grabbing a portion of the cookie with their thumb and two fingers and Meowth holding it with his whole peculiar fist. Then, they pulled, seeing if they could end up with equal chunks.
They didn't. And this became painfully obvious to any of the Pokémon hiding in the trees above from the way that Meowth chuckled manically, Jessie's lipstick adorned mouth quirked up towards one of her green earrings and James no longer felt the coldness of the November night surging through him.
It wasn't often that he let loose in this way, but a scorching summer then surged through him. A vein matching the shade of his hair throbbed in his forehead, possessing a heartbeat of its own.
"Hey, that's not fair, I've got barely even a crumb!" James protested, looking down at the chunk of cookie that he had won for himself in the one hand with his left hand balling together into a midnight fist. He was right. It was so miniscule that it was more chocolate chip than it was cookie dough. "It's my cookie. One of you, give me some of yours."
James' eyes searched for Jessie's first. Although she liked to put on a front, deep down he knew that she had a softer heart than she let on and a softer one than Meowth.
If someone was going to recognize what was fair, then it was going to be her.
On that night, however, Jessie wasn't in the mood for sharing in the same way that James had been willing to do. Though she did look as though she was considering for a moment as she stopped smirking and all of the features on her face scrunched up together, soon enough her shoulders bounced up and down.
James was left with his original spec of a snack and a half-hearted pat on the shoulder.
"Sorry, James. Not going to happen." She told him.
At least she apologized, James told himself!
His eyes dropped down to Meowth. He had read his team mates correctly even if his optimism towards Jessie had been a little too rose-tinted.
The fierce feline altered his eyes, so they were as slanted and as jagged as both his teeth and claws and, with another swift motion of the paw, threw his large chunk of cookie into his mouth and practically swallowed it whole before hooting into the night!
He had forgotten his own warnings about keeping hidden from us trio of children and me.
"Too little too late, Jimmy." Meowth cackled and rubbed his paws together before acknowledging the way that he saw very genuine and sincere hurt washing over the face of James. Meowth tried to share some semblance of guilt like Jessie had done but he ended up appearing like a stiff-faced doll. James ended up with an unsolicited life lesson. "Serves you right for being such a nice boy and sharing with us in the first place."
It was Meowth's turn to shrug. And it was time for James to swallow away the glossy eyed expression from his face and encourage as harsh of a frown penciling between his eyebrows as he could muster.
The pathetic crumb of cookie still in his hold, his arms were hugging back over his chest and his head was swaying from side to side, his perfectly cropped bob moving in unison. He was preparing to open his mouth to speak. He was about to defend his kindness, about to tell Meowth that he should have known that he would do anything for him and Jessie.
However, Jessie got there first. But she didn't scorn Meowth, telling him that he had been rotten, even by his standards.
Her hand didn't reach out to pat James a second time as she was too busy beginning to dig into her share of the cookie that was more or less the same size to the only Pokémon in the trio.
She spoke in between chewing and this had to cut James like a knife!
"He is kind of right, James." She swallowed. She could feel that James' screwed up expression had disappeared, and he was back to looking pitifully betrayed, this time over at her. Jessie didn't hold back her words. "You are a bit of a sucker."
Even in future reflection, Jessie tells me that she only meant well! That if James didn't stop his friends from walking all over him then how was he going to stop someone who truly meant him harm?
Needless to say, James didn't decipher both Jessie and Meowth's advice. On that night, on that cold, November night, he decided that he might continue being nice to everyone else, but he was done being pleasant with them.
With his nose sticking up towards the perfect half-disc shape illuminating the fall sky, James rid himself of his gloves and chucked them on the floor, losing the piece of cookie in the process.
Well, not that there was all that much to lose!
James scoffed, not looking at either of his teammates. But it was clear who these words were for.
"Jeez, you guys both entirely suck." He said before striding away from them both, intending to reach for his sleeping bag and roll it out along with his other supplies. He wished to head to bed without saying another word.
Jessie and Meowth, of course, did say other words. They glanced at one and other as if to confer whether they should apologize to James or not, but they obviously decided against it because, when one of them opened their mouth, it was to make plans instead rather than concoct a sincere apology.
Jessie's eyebrows were back towards her hairline. Meowth was savoring the taste of cookie in his mouth although it was a wonder that he had tasted anything, licking his lips.
"Early night then, I guess." Jessie announced to the night. She announced to Meowth most of all because he was the one standing nearest to her.
But it was James who responded even if he had tried to will himself not to, unable to stop himself from scoffing in the process of rolling his sleeping bag against the crunchy leaves of the clearing.
He looked over at Jessie despite the fact he had told himself he wouldn't do that either, preparing to muster up a snarky comment about how typical it was that she was acting like she expected both Meowth and he to entertain her for a bit longer even though she hadn't exactly been deserving of the attention.
Neither was Meowth, not that he had been the one to make the comment.
But after James parted his lips to speak, he decided that he wanted to say something else entirely. His head craned to the side as he swore that not only could he see something moving in the hedge on the opposite side to the twerp camping spot, but he could hear it too.
James stood himself up from crouching on his knees.
"Did you guys hear that noise?" he asked, gloveless hands moving against his hips. James straightened his neck but it soon sloped again, sure that his senses weren't deceiving him and, if his team mates turned to look, then surely they would notice the same things as he.
Jessie and Meowth did turn to look. But they didn't give their senses much of a chance because, soon enough, the moon light was bouncing off Meowth's steely blue eyes once again and he was mocking James.
"James, was it your stomach?" taunted Meowth. He was quick to cackle at his own incredible humor and though Jessie did let out some close-mouthed chuckles, she was mostly turning over her shoulder to see if James was right or not.
James didn't notice this part.
The one side of his face stung as if he had been slapped. He was too tired, and he was too hungry and, frankly, he was too hurt to stick it out any longer. He decided to prepare to go back to rolling his sleeping bag out and go to sleep for good.
He didn't care if they got attacked while they slept.
Good, he thought to himself. Hopefully it was a massive Ursaring, and it ate Jessie and Meowth first.
"Oh, go away." He muttered, crouching back down to his knees, not caring about sullying the white of his uniform. No doubt did he wish to say other words than these tame ones! "You both are the worst."
Jessie was on the cusp of craning her neck back towards where James was sulking from having a good hard look at the bushes and open her mouth to let out a yelp, defending herself. She didn't know why she was being tarred with the same brush as Meowth!
In the end, it wasn't her who let out a yelp, out of dismay or otherwise. It wasn't just her to exclaim. They all did.
You see, something lurked in the bush on the other side of the clearing, James had been right about that. Something had been watching them. Someone. I felt like it was about time that they were on the receiving end of sneaky behavior!
All of a sudden this someone let out giggles that were almost as conniving as Meowth's outburst and with a great amount of gusto, this person flew across the clearing and purposely collided with James, knocking him down onto the ground and leaving him with more stains on his white trousers than just his kneecaps.
He was fortunate that he was able to be recognized from his silly antics as well as his laughter. Even if he had been concealed behind a helmet that he would later go on to don, he would have been recognized anyway.
There weren't many people who would behave like that! And there weren't many people who would use their new Team Rocket jetpack to fly on top of James.
Jessie and Meowth couldn't help but share a look with each other after they had acted like they hadn't been caught shrieking, laughing at the way that Jorginho had ended up more or less straddling James, leaving the man with cheeks stinging for a different reason trying to push him off.
For a rare occasion, he wasn't smiling as soon as he saw the fellow Team Rocket member.
"Get off me you pest." James grumbled, acting like the intruder was a different kind of Pokémon than a looming Ursaring – more like a pesky Spinarak – grimacing and trying to get the man away from him. "What are you doing here?"
Jorginho knew when he wasn't wanted and he hated the way that other people teased the placid Team Rocket member so was always the first to back off if a friendly greeting wasn't so well received. He didn't hesitate to leap off James, not firing up his jet pack this time in case it went wrong, and he went tumbling through the air with James clinging to his front!
Planting his feet against the brown array of leaves on the forest floor, Jorginho's eyes of a similar hue lit up like the sun that appeared in the sky on any given Johto day, not hesitating to point towards his jet pack to show James before gesturing to Jessie and Meowth, giving them a spin to show them as well.
"Look at my new jet pack!" he announced, cutting quite the image in his black Team Rocket bounty hunter trainee armor and jet pack by spinning around in different directions in case somehow his words had gone unnoticed. "Look, they finally gave me one that slides onto my armor rather than all the annoying straps."
He didn't hesitate to dive into a demonstration, bending his arms backwards to show the way it slid off him before putting it back and firing it up just a little bit, so he lifted about a meter off the ground before planting back down all over again.
Even Meowth couldn't stop the light casting itself over his eyes like a sword glinting in the sunlight, letting out an impressed murmur while Jessie tried to just nod with her hands on her hips, but she couldn't help but smile evenly, both corners of her mouth tugging towards two green earrings.
James was the odd one out. He was back on his own feet now and dusting his uniform down, not that it made a difference. He was lucky that he had a spare set in his belongings!
"Nice." James murmured and from the second that he sounded out this word, Jorginho turned to focus his attention on him, his brown eyes darkening as he quickly figured that he felt the opposite. "But what are you doing here?"
On other occasions, this would have rolled off Jorginho like water off a Psyduck's back and he would have turned to Jessie and Meowth and let out a mocking ooo noise, making it clear to James that he could tell that he was in a sulky mood.
However, inside his heart Jorginho knew that there was no three other people he wanted to travel to when he had the opportunity to test out his new jet back, no matter the time of the evening. He thought that they would all be elated for him, especially James.
Jorginho's muddy irises couldn't help but take up more space than the white in his sockets but instead of asking James what the matter was and instead of mocking him though he may have deserved it from his dismissive attitude, he turned to look at Jessie and Meowth with a questioning expression.
What's up with him, he asked, without needing to say words at all.
Apparently, it was still funny to Meowth even if time had passed and he didn't hesitate to inform Jorginho with a paw covering his mouth as if he was at least trying to suppress his giggles but the way his mouth stretched wider made it obvious he was still filled with glee.
At least Jessie had the decency to just twitch from foot to foot, trying to appear restless rather than amused as James let out another sigh that howled like the wind.
"He's just about to go to bed without supper 'cos the sucker gave most of his last cookie to the two of us." Meowth explained. Jorginho didn't need to turn back towards James to figure that, while this was almost true, it wasn't entirely true.
Nevertheless, he filled his vision with the other male Team Rocket member for half a second before his lips pressed together in a line, the beginning wisp of a dimple starting to trace over his cheek.
He didn't nod slowly – he didn't nod at all – but he figured it out.
Gave was a loose word. It was clear that James had broken off the smallest chunk of his own cookie when they split it in the way that the trio usually did. And it was crystal clear that, although he didn't take kindly to the misfortune, he took even less kindly to all of the mocking.
After Meowth had his say and Jorginho had just started looking over at him, James scoffed all over again and tried to act like he didn't care, more focused on just going to bed.
Jorginho wouldn't let him go to bed hungry. He wouldn't have made it to the morning if he were in his position!
While he did turn back over his shoulder to give Jessie and Meowth a bit of a knowing smile, it wasn't an encouraging one either. Soon enough, Jorginho was slipping his prized jet back off for a different reason in order to reach into his back pocket and give James something of his own supply.
"Here." Jorginho offered. It didn't look like much. It was wrapped in a packet barely bigger than James' pathetic cookie crumb but anyone in Team Rocket knew that if you added water to it then it expanded into a generous sized pastry. They were a favorite of many, but they were only given to the higher paid members. "It should keep you going until morning."
It was a favorite of James. He knew as well as anybody that Jorginho could earn a pretty penny selling it on to any other Team Rocket member, but he was offering it to him for free. He wasn't blind. He could see in his peripheral vision the way that Jessie's hands were still on her hips, and she was chewing on the inside of her mouth, trying not to be impressed again. Or jealous.
Meowth didn't hide his envy. He was practically foaming at the mouth and already plotting how he was going to nab it from under James' nose! James could've taken great delight in taking it off Jorginho and eating it slowly in front of Meowth, torturing him.
But he did not.
He didn't even wish to take it.
His nose was not quite in the air, but his hands soon were after he pushed it back towards Jorginho, arms rising towards his hair to tie it into a ponytail using the black tie he kept hidden under his right glove at all times.
"No, thank you." He declined, his eyes momentarily fluttering shut as he secured his hair into a soft bun instead, feeling Jorginho's eyes searching him more than when he had been trying to figure out certain situations.
Jorginho did not need to glance back at Meowth to feel him preparing to twitch closer to them both, about to say the words don't mind if I do and make a grab for the offering himself. He did not need to glance at Jessie either, hearing the scoff that silently omitted from her throat.
He was stubborn sometimes, Jorginho couldn't help but note before it seemed as though he was chewing on the inside of his lower lip, but he was really suppressing a sloping grin. He was stubborn too.
So, with uncompromising eyes, he bobbed his head at James just once, grabbing his hand and planting the snack into it now that his hands were no longer occupied with tying his hair and before he could reject him again.
"Keep it." Jorginho insisted, his own gloved hand against James' bare one for a couple of seconds more as he knew he was likely to keep trying to hand it back. But he didn't. "You never know when you might need it." Jorginho set his smile free that time. Then, along with this, he reached into his pockets again and gestured his head towards the other two. "Jessie, Meowth."
Jorginho only said these words and said these words alone. Before the both of them could feel a glimmer of hope, Jessie and Meowth were tossed a snack each other of the same kind. Not that they deserved it, James was possibly thinking from the way that his eyes darted between the wrapper in his palm and his two teammates!
Meowth was then sunshine, a far different disposition than he often portrayed.
"Aw, you're such a gem, pal!" Meowth beamed from the inside out and he actually didn't throw this snack in the air and use his claws to unwrap it in one movement before it fell into his gaping mouth this time.
Jorginho was left grinning properly and reached down to pat Meowth on the head when he could feel him standing against his black boots and hugging his legs. Jessie didn't touch Jorginho, on the shoulder like she had done to James or otherwise. But she tucked the snack away for later and the way that she smiled down at Meowth embracing Jorginho's calf high boots said everything.
For a rare occasion, James said everything on his mind.
He couldn't help but have a funny taste in his mouth like he had been given a bitter lozenge at the way that Meowth was so delighted by Jorginho's kindness but had seemed less than approving of his own.
"Oh, and I'm just a wet blanket, I suppose?" James interrupted with a vinegary expression, not at all sweetened by Jorginho's treat making its way into his back pocket even though he would surely appreciate the kindness at a later date.
Still close to Jorginho's shins but no longer hugging them, Meowth didn't appreciate the retort and he narrowed his eyes all over again, preparing to open his mouth and make James regret saying anything at all. But another hand on the head from Jorginho encouraged it to close again.
James' lip curled in the corner, but he mostly plonked himself down on his sleeping bag to unclip his belt for the night. Jorginho took this opportunity to look over at Jessie who gave him a look that simultaneously said don't ask as well as don't get involved.
Jorginho decided to shrug cheerily. He folded his arms over his own chest for something to do. He came all that way to catch up with his favorite trio and catch up he intended to do.
When asked what the three of them were doing in those particular woods anyway, Jessie just pointed to the hedge opposite to the one he had been hiding in and Jorginho wasn't surprised by what he saw.
Mirroring their own set up, Ash, Misty, Brock, and me, were setting up camp for the night but unlike our villainous counterparts, we were satisfied with some good cooking and were all happily chatting around the campfire! If any of the trio caught a whiff of what was cooking, then they would have been seething with jealousy!
Jorginho stopped peeking through the leaves of the hedge and he went back to interact with Jessie and Meowth, one hand on one of his hips and his body weight shifting onto the one of his legs. His eyes revolved with fondness.
I never know whether to be agreeable or offended that he just didn't understand his friends' obsession with catching me!
"Oh, I see." He murmured. He was chatting with Jessie and Meowth, but he could feel James' eyes flicking towards him every so often as he loosened his boots. "It's not something I would be proud to do but do you want me to just fly with my jet pack over there so you can get that critter for good?"
Oh, the horror! The offense!
Again, I don't know whether to be relieved or offended when, in spite of his continually sullen attitude, James didn't hide the fact that he was listening into the conversation and invited himself into it, a swift glance of his watch elaborating.
It was rare for him to speak over Jessie or Meowth but if it was any day that they definitely deserved it then it was this one.
"We've got a plan for first thing in the morning." He spoke. Jessie and Meowth recovered enough from James speaking before they had a chance to in order to nod when Jorginho briefly turned back to them from giving James his full attention. "It's long past six in the evening anyway."
As if this meant anything! Jessie, James and Meowth would never let Jorginho step in and take me because their jobs would pretty much be over. They had somehow managed to get Giovanni on their side in continuously pursuing me and my friends, but I had little faith that they would be very good at their jobs without this particular little mission.
I would still be there waiting for them with an electrical attack in the morning and their next pursuit would be within their employment hours so they could at least get a little more than usual for their predictably feeble attempt.
Jorginho was tempted to roll his eyes again, this time with a little less fondness! His stance straightened up instead, two hands on two hips as he looked between all three members of the trio.
"So… Bedtime then?" he asked, but it was plainly obvious where the evening was headed.
Unlike Jessie, he didn't have himself to blame for the activities pointing towards sleep rather than anything else. Part of him still wanted to probe and pester though.
Surely, they didn't have to be this sensible?!
But then again, Jorginho knew as much as anybody, that when it came to these kinds of duties then their goals were to get as much sleep as possible, nourish themselves as much as they could with what little they had, not spend too much money and enjoy the freedom.
Back at headquarters it could be another story!
But this isn't that kind of story. And Jorginho knew that it wasn't going to be that kind of night.
So, he had to make a decision between tactfully heading back to headquarters and to catch up another time or to be loyal to them even when they were focused.
I don't need to tell you that the latter was the decision in which he came to.
His hands were still on his hips and James was knowingly standing up for what inevitably came next long before Jessie even voiced it.
"Bedtime." She confirmed with words while she did not need to. Stretching her arms up towards the air, she broke the distance with James and encouraged Meowth to move closer too. "Rock, paper scissors for who has to share their sleeping bag with Jorginho?"
James and Meowth reluctantly rolled their eyes, but their hands spoke of compliance as their digits prepared to shoot closer to Jessie's ones in order to get a clear winner.
Meanwhile, Jorginho's gloved hand scratched the back of his head, eyes shooting closer to his full hairline.
"Is it really that much a sacrifice for you all?" Jorginho wondered, trying to encourage his alluring eyes into a state of hurt but he wasn't quite so good at it as James was. Part of him was a little bit flattered that they were making such an effort! "Do I not just get to pick for myself?"
Jorginho's shoulders moved in between Jessie and James' ones as he asked more questions. He was ignored! The trio clearly had a way about doing things and they were certainly going to do it their own way.
Jessie called out rock, paper scissors. Jorginho watched. He observed like it was the first time though he had seen many of these go down and knew how they usually went. Although they were all meant to show at the same time, James was always a little bit delayed and, as well as this, he always instinctively copied whatever Jessie did.
She always did scissors. Meowth only had three fingers so chose to do rock every time rather than paper! Somehow, none of them tried to fix their flawed games.
Meowth's maniacal laughs filled the forest. It became obvious that he wouldn't have to share with Jorginho and so, he left the huddle to make his way to set up his own little camp for the night and to settle down.
Jessie and James looked at each other. It was their turn to have it out between them both. It could take hours if James continued to copy Jessie, and Jorginho knew this!
His hands flapping out in front of his face and in front of the other two, he made it clear that he wanted to put a stop to these shenanigans and thought that it was only fair that he could decide his sleeping location for himself.
He felt that he had been kind to James. And not that he needed a reward for it but… Well, it would have been nice if karma was on his side.
After his flamboyant gesticulations to get Jessie and James' attention, he sunk closer to Jessie and prepared to wrap his arm around her shoulders, buttering her up in a humorous way.
"Jess Jess…" he began in such a mocking sultry tone that it turned into anything but! James tried to wrinkle his nose but even his disposition broke for a split second and he had to look down at the forest floor to disguise his smirk.
Jessie might have possessed her own one on the inside but she never would have admitted to this. She did not hesitate to grab Jorginho's lingering arm with both of her hands and shove him off with quite a lot of force.
While he held onto James to regain his balance who shoved him off too, Jessie mocked gentility to counter her previous strength.
"Gigi…" she commenced, already bagging his attention and thinking that he might end up with his own way after all. What Jorginho did end up with was a teasing gentle slap on the side of his cheek once he had successfully regained his balance. "Try not to irritate James too much."
Jorginho almost lost his balance all over again!
And with her words complete, Jessie held a hand over her mouth and giggled like Meowth would before heading to her own corner of the clearing to set up her own sleeping bag for the night.
It seemed that James had drawn the short straw all over again and he showed this by the torrent of wind that escaped from his nostrils this time and his smirk being fiercely wiped from his face.
Jorginho may have put on a show about sharing with Jessie, but he would have been comfortable anywhere to tell you the truth – even curled up with his jet back most likely!
However, rather than voicing this option which James would have much preferred, Jorginho offered him an earnest smile which soon turned to a teasing one, touching him on the shoulder and pretending to flutter his eyelashes.
"I promise I don't snore." He informed with a ripe chuckle to which James concealed his amusement if he did have any left inside of him, moving away from his touch and gesturing to where his sleeping bag was the biggest and he supposed that, if it came to it, then he was welcome too.
Jorginho prepared to rid himself of some of his layers before diving in, but James laid a few ground rules first.
His gloveless hand cut in front of Jorginho's chest plates.
"You're sleeping on top of that side and I'm sleeping under my usual side." James commanded, leaving Jorginho's eyes appearing much fuller than the moon but listening anyway. He might have gone on to give him a gentle pat on his shoulder amor but a warning was there as if his finger had continued to stretch out to him. "And you better not snore."
Jorginho continued making a joke of it all again. Even he considered teasing James, wondering where this new bossy side was coming from. But then he realized that he didn't want to be sent on his way. And James was good to him being kind and letting him sleep there even if he had been mocked for his previous acts of goodness.
And so, rather than anything else, Jorginho decided to nod his head agreeably just once. For once, James didn't smile back, just nodded in return, and prepared to get himself tucked down. Jorginho turned over his shoulder before undressing down to his underclothes and doing the same and met the gazes of both Jessie and Meowth.
While he raised a hand to politely bid goodnight, they had mischief in their gazes. They muttered the actual words of goodnight to him. But the way that they giggled between themselves unnerved him! He sure hoped that they didn't try and pull a trick on him while he slept.
Best to sleep in his armor just in case, he told himself.
And so, like they were a bunch of star gazers rather than the Team Rocket members they were, they all bedded down for the night and tried to get as much rest ahead of the new day. No doubt would it be an exciting one. It always was in our world of Pokémon. And it would be for me too, I was sure, as I dozed a dozen meters away.
I always knew that a new day meant a new method of capture. Weirdly, I embraced it. But let me tell you, nothing could have prepared me for the next scheme. To be honest, it came as a surprise to them too!
Little by little, the stars rotated above, and the moon played a seemingly never-ending game of peekaboo with the ground below. Eventually, the sun moved through the sky. And morning came around.
One by one, the Team Rocket members sat up in their sleeping bags, stretched and exited them, all prepared to embark on the new day. Jessie was first and then she was swiftly followed by Meowth who couldn't bear to allow her to seize more of the new day than him!
Jorginho rose about twenty minutes later and he leapt up from being curled up in a fetal position on top of the flap of the sleeping bag that James had allowed him to crawl onto the night before.
One by one, the Team Rocket members sat on a fallen trunk of tree and chatted about their dreams – if they had any – and Jorginho shared around more of his supplies.
James, however, did not join them. He did not even venture out of the cocoon that he was tucked inside of, and this eventually encouraged Jessie, who perhaps felt remorseful regarding the evening before, to be the one to go and tug him away from his slumber.
Crouching down against the crunch of the leaves below them both, she reached a not yet gloved hand out and shook what she hoped was the ball of his shoulder. She couldn't tell based on how much he was cocooned up inside the double sized sleeping bag!
"Are you going to join us, James?" she asked, Jorginho and Meowth breaking away from their conversation and being unable to resist turning their heads over their shoulders, waiting for the other Team Rocket member to appear.
Nothing. Silence. It appeared that James didn't want to join them. Or maybe he needed a louder awakening.
Meowth's foot lifted him down onto the forest clearing rather being sat perched on the fallen tree with Jorginho. But he didn't have a chance to open his wide mouth and awake more than just James, and Jessie didn't have the chance to give him another shake either.
A groaning of the material filled the air. A gloveless arm shot out of a small gap in the sleeping bag and made a very clear gesture at whoever was waking him. No, not that kind!
Meowth hooted with laughter while Jessie's teeth gritted together and she stood back up to her full height, wondering why their friend couldn't be bothered with any of them on that day.
"If we didn't have dinner last night then what makes you think that we have freshly brewed coffee for you?" responded Jessie in a petulant manner, her arms wrapping around the undershirt of her Team Rocket attire and not because the brisk morning was biting her bare abdomen with cold air.
James didn't concoct his own words, whether he had any to say or otherwise. Making his point perfectly clear without having to say anything at all, the shape of his cocoon zipped back up all over again.
Joining Meowth to stand on the forest floor, Jorginho stopped eyeing up the small half loaf of bread that the feline had left loitering next to him and ran a hand through his floppy brown locks that had not yet been styled by gel.
An equally gloveless hand raised to get Jessie's attention – as well as perhaps to act as the referee of the gang.
"Do you want me to try and tempt him?" he suggested amiably enough but it caused competitiveness to catch Meowth by the throat and surge through his clumsy body.
The only Pokémon of the group planted his feet firmly on the forest floor and looked over at Jorginho with the jaggedness of a sword tucked inside his irises.
His claw poised towards him menacingly.
"How come you get ta have a try next?" he asked although he definitely didn't need to. It echoed silently through both Jessie and Jorginho too that no doubt would his waking up methods be less than fair!
James would have been even less compliant after those claws of his slashed his sleeping bag to ribbons before he left a wolverine red mark down the center of his face.
Jessie was about to unwrap her arms from her own body and set forth her own words towards Meowth but, once again, Jorginho stepped in there. He wasn't unsettled by Meowth's antics in the slightest – his threat of a shiny claw even less so.
Within his duties in Team Rocket, he had to deal with uncompliant Pokémon on a daily basis and this was no longer an issue for him.
With a voice as level as the ground that they all stood (or slept) on, Jorginho looked the feline dead in the eye.
"Get ready to do what I say when I say, Meowth." Jorginho ordered calmly, his tone of voice dropping in pitch by a level or two. Jessie couldn't help but wrap her arms back around herself, this time a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips to accompany this gesture.
She very much was looking forward to Meowth's response.
The creature, hypnotized by the authoritative order, couldn't help but give into his Pokémon instincts and therefore, as if he were someone's very first Pokémon pal, felt his glaring eyes softening and his back buckle in order to sit down and await whichever instructions came next.
Of course, no proper ones presented themselves because Meowth didn't exactly have a plethora of moves to choose from, let alone actually be able to carry them out.
In the split second that Jorginho's own grin scrunched itself up towards just one of his ears, Meowth recovered from the embarrassing blunder and was back to being his usual self, except with the addition of cheeks burning behind creamy white fur.
Meowth, this time, held just one of his claws up and did a gesture towards Jorginho that James had managed to stifle!
"Why d'ya go and do that for?!" he thundered, causing the bird Pokémon who had been chattering in the trees on that particular morning to come shooting out in all directions. As Jessie joined the two of them once more, Meowth's nose would have scrunched up if he had one. "Go be the one to wake Jimmy if you're so good at everything."
Jorginho was good at a lot of things, I would go onto learn in the future. One thing I know as I look back in hindsight is that he is also very good at being likeable. Sometimes annoying so. Often annoyingly so for some people.
Meowth would possibly be very irritated by this indeed as, while he continued sulking, Jorginho's grin almost softened down to a smile and he was thinking of crouching down to pat the Pokémon on the head, showing he didn't truly mean anything malicious by his little tactic.
Someone on that morning, however, decided to let the rest of the gang know that he was properly awake even though he was uncompliant, and a voice spoke through that gap that had formed in the sleeping bag once more.
James addressed a prior point and addressed one person and one person only.
"Didn't you keep me awake enough last night without having to try and drag me out of bed now?" he asked, not showing any of his limbs as he remained wrapped in the sleeping bag but no doubt, they were flailing around to prove a point as he remained hidden.
Jessie turned to look over at Jorginho with curiosity in her eyes before she decided that she was going to take a sneaky look at Meowth's untouched half of a loaf. She sat down on the fallen tree again. Meowth was hot on her trail, more interested in defending his breakfast than the little spat between James and Jorginho for once.
Jorginho's mouth hung down as wide as his revealing brown eyes when he heard this accusation. He had a denying spring in his step as he hopped closer to James, defending his honor immediately.
"But I never snore!" he insisted before feeling Jessie's eyes burning into the back of him now that she had stopped eyeing up Meowth's bread roll and he was tucking back into it. A cough threatened to encapsulate Jorginho's throat as he was forced to concede. "Much."
James had absorbed some of Jorginho's animation. Suddenly no longer wishing to hide, he unzipped the sleeping bag entirely and popped out of it like a jack-in-the-box, speaking over to Jessie and Meowth rather than Jorginho.
After all, those two being conniving and him being soft was the reason he had had to share, wasn't it?
"I went to toilet in the middle of the night and came back to him inside my sleeping bag instead of on top of it where I left him!" James announced. His frustration as he tamed his unusually unruly locks back into a ponytail was not contagious in the slightest.
Jessie openly chuckled, a hand covering her mouth for something to do rather than an admission of regret. Meowth grotesquely hooted with a wide open mouth and bread crumbs glued to his teeth. James shot the two of them yet another look and when he was finished with that, didn't even bother to look over at Jorginho for an explanation.
He still offered one anyway. His sclera was whiter than the trio's uniforms as he looked over at James rather than the other two, even if he didn't wish to look at him for a single second.
"I was only keeping it warm." Jorginho said, but James wasn't hearing anything. A new, uncompromising attitude taking over his being thanks to lack of sleep caused him to stand on his own sleeping back in frustration, his gloveless fists clenched.
Jessie thought it was all quite pathetic really. So much so that she decided to copy Jorginho's antics and get in the middle before an unnecessary spat truly occurred.
She was back on her feet in front of the log, her hips cupping around her own wide hips as she stood.
"James, why don't you have some breakfast with us, and we'll set about trying to nab that rat?" she suggested, much to my horror in the future. Jessie offered him what she believed was her most reasonable smile, her lips equally quirking up in the corners as she darted her cornflower gaze between he and Jorginho. "Jorginho had some good ideas last night."
Eyes like glossy pools of warmth, Jorginho naturally smiled amiably over at James when he heard Jessie say this. Unlike how Meowth would have done, he meant no harm with his suggestions or his smile, finding it natural to behave in such a way.
James, however, had been sour from the moment that he stepped onto the forest floor the night before and this only got worse and worse thanks to Jessie and Meowth's treatment as well as lack of sleep.
He behaved in a way that was quite unlike him.
Nose in the air even if his fists didn't clench or even wobble, James prepared to huddle back in his protective layer of coziness.
"Oh really? Well, if he's got such a good plan then he can step in for me today and do my job for me!" his voice rose only a fraction, so the bird Pokémon remained curiously cooing in the trees. "I've got a spare uniform." That was the last thing he wished to say on the matter. James clambered back into the double sleeping bag and zipped it back all the way up. A muffled voice then said one final word. "Goodnight."
And with that, one by one, the other Team Rocket members began to clap their eyelashes together in disbelief. Meowth was the only one to be brushed towards anger at the disloyalty from James and was about to get him out of there by slashing the sleeping bag to ribbons and even James' skin too!
Jorginho, however, appeared back by his side and looked down at him with a shrug. He wouldn't mind helping Jessie and Meowth out on their mission. In fact, he was quite excited to see what all the fuss regarding me was about!
And so, in not much time at all, the new Team Rocket trio left the forest floor with Jessie clad in her usual get up, Meowth in his birthday suit with a square, parcel-sized, remote control in both hands and Jorginho in clean, white Team Rocket uniform rather than his typical bounty hunter trainee get up.
I wonder if he missed his new jetpack, I consider upon future reflection. But I am told that he complained more about the material tugging across his broad shoulders and being worried about his black undershirt coming untucked and looking like he was wearing a crop top!
Not that he was against that sort of thing. It just wasn't really the weather to show off his abdomen like Jessie did come rain or shine.
The three of them revised the plan from the night before as they walked to where they predicted my gang of friends would be heading and then they huddled and waited for us all to walk into their nasty surprise for us.
And oh boy, I remember it as clear as day!
We all tried to warn Ash to not be so naïve when, not long after our own breakfast and with all kinds of bird Pokémon chirping above our heads, my best friend was so very delighted to see a picnic of an array of foods in wrappers that he had never seen before.
Jorginho was no doubt going to regret his kindness when he had to fly back to headquarters on an empty stomach when all was said and done!
Ash expressed his curiosity with wide eyes and a pointing finger. Misty, on the other hand, was quick to step in there, her gloveless hand brushing against the darker green material of Ash's fingerless glove.
"How are you this naïve, Ash?" she wondered, saying the words that I was too loyal to say! I was rather glad that I was sat on her shoulder while she held Togepi in her arms but still decided to jump down before Ash thought I was too much against him. "No one leaves a pile of food in the middle of a path."
Ash scarcely missed a beat before deciding to see the best in the situation, turning around and walking backwards onto the picnic blanket with a smug finger pointing in the air.
"Oh, I wouldn't leave any food uneaten at all, I simply wasn't raised that way." He may have been dense, but he wasn't ignorant to the groans that erupted from Misty, and Brock as well as he tentatively held onto the straps of his backpack. "I'm just going to have a little peek…"
Brock had witnessed how Misty and her words hadn't done anything to deter Ash and if he wasn't careful then the younger boy was going to make a very big mistake. Even if it wasn't anything malicious, Ash should have known better to go delving into piles of food that he was unfamiliar with.
They didn't need yet another trip to a Pokémon Center thanks to Ash and his hungry belly!
My best friend was now standing right next to all the food on the picnic blanket and preparing to crouch down to properly survey it all.
"Ash, you can't be that hungry!" Brock reasoned; his voice filled with dismay filling the air all around us.
But Ash always was that hungry. And he often was that curious.
Ash took one step too far. His weight shifted that bit too much. The trap revealed itself and sprung into action. While I was on the corner of the picnic blanket and on the outskirts of it all, my best friend yelled as he found himself scooped up into a net with his friends!
Brock had been holding onto the white corner of his jacket to guide him away so got swept up in it as well and, Misty who had also been on the outskirts, sprung into action from the split second that her two guy friends gasped. She ended up in the same exact predicament.
Ash, Misty and Brock had been captured and it was no surprise who was inflicting this suffering on them. They revealed themselves, the new trio being lead by a cackling Jessie followed by Meowth who had his mouth shut for once but had his finger on a button.
With one swift movement, that button encouraged the box he was holding to shoot out a mechanical arm and grab me around the abdomen while my friends were captured. I too was trapped!
Jessie hooted loudly.
"The three of you get dumber and dumber every day!" she announced, ignoring me crying out my best friend's name as I realized that the rubber material of the hand meant that I couldn't unleash any of my normal attacks.
While Ash and Brock growled through gritted teeth, trying to use their arms and legs to break the sturdy rope of the trap to no avail, Misty didn't hesitate to hiss towards the other woman.
"The three of you get more and more useless every day!" she countered. She tried her best to say something spiteful to the three of them, but her words were the thing proven useless when Jessie and Meowth cackled, unbothered.
They knew that they weren't that useless if their plan had succeeded.
Misty was the one proven useless. Or was she?
I remember seeing for my own eyes the way that her opening her mouth got Jorginho's attention and, soon enough, his eyes had dropped down to the creature tucked inside her arms, cooing gently as if it had no problems in the world.
Jorginho let out his own soft gasp. Jessie inched her shoulder closer to him to wonder what had caused him not only to let out this noise but his eyes to appear as though he had seen the eighth wonder of the world.
Surely, he wished he had his jetpack there and then!
Be that as it may, he was very quick on his feet as he sprinted right over to the net that was swinging with Misty, Ash and Brock inside, steadying it to get a closer look at the thing that was causing his gaze to be filled with such wonderment.
"Oh my goodness, it's a Togepi!" he gushed, his gloved hands hooking themselves against the rope to steady both the trap as well as himself. Ash did everything in his power to resist kicking his sneaker into who he believed was James' hands as he got too close to Misty for his liking. "And it's the cutest Togepi that I've ever seen!"
Jorginho could feel Jessie and Meowth's eyes burning into the back of him for a different reason this time, but he did not care one bit. His throat was still setting free enamored gasps as the baby Pokémon, none the wiser to who he was, trilled cutely over at him.
Ash, Misty and Brock were none the wiser to who he was either.
Misty was the first to voice the confusion after the three of them looked at each other.
"Why are you acting like you haven't seen my Togepi before?" she questioned. She did not wish to say the name James to him. If he refused to call her by her name, then she wasn't going to give him the privilege!
However, before Jorginho could allow his open mouth to speak rather than audibly gasp, another question came and this time it was from Ash.
"Hey, why are the other two not in a disguise but James is?" he wondered, being unlike Misty and feeling able to utter a name. For some reason she was more offended by the nickname of red than he was by twerp!
While Brock silently raised a contemplative hand to his chin as he tried to figure it all out, Misty didn't hesitate to share a look with just Ash this time before agreeing with his words. Unlike her closest friend, she went the extra mile.
She always did, didn't she?!
"Yeah, what's with the weird glasses and nose disguise on just one of you?" Misty didn't leave it there either. Running a risk by having only the one arm securing Togepi close to her, she reached her other hand through the gap in the net and yanked Jorginho's glasses off his face, expecting the fake nose to come off along with it.
When it didn't, she tried poking at the fake nose with the fingers that were not nabbing his glasses. But of course, it wasn't a fake nose!
Jorginho recoiled, realizing what was going on and scurried back, not wanting to move away from Togepi but feeling as though he had to!
"Hey! Jessie and Meowth weren't sure about the glasses with the outfit either, but I can't see without them." He began, his naturally warm cheeks often decorated with dimples like ripe fruit scorching more so than ever. He decided to march back over to Misty and snatch his glasses back from her. His lower lip hung out further than his top one after they were secured back on his face. "And I can't help the nose I was born with."
Meowth had never found something so funny in all of his life! He practically doubled over and rolled around laughing and I hoped that this would make him lose control of the remote control but no such luck.
Meanwhile, Jessie could see a glimpse of the funny side of it but also had never seen Jorginho's cheeks warm like that before.
She decided to shoot Misty a look filled with disdain, her nose swiveling towards the blue sky.
"This is our friend Jorginho, you dumb red headed baby!" she retorted. Misty's cheeks that had begun to burn in the same manner as her hair stopped considering mumbling the word sorry to Jorginho and glared over at Jessie with hate in her eyes. "He's replacing James for today."
The words replacing James echoed through the lips of Brock and Ash. They still didn't understand what was going on. But they were beginning to get cramp and Ash knew it wouldn't be long before they stopped all their talking and ran off with me so kept his mouth shut and silently wondered how we were all going to get out of that pickle.
As for Jorginho, well, he could see that Misty was only a kid and she didn't mean any harm in the same way that he didn't. Any of the Team Rocket members didn't, really. They may have the careers that they had but, deep inside, they weren't that different to the three that were trapped inside the net.
Jorginho cautiously approached Misty's side all over again. He worried for his fingers as well as his nose as he hooked them back into the net to steady his excitement, his eyes glinting as much as the glass of his spectacles.
"I won't hurt your little friend. They're my favorite Pokémon." He began. Although Misty was studying him through narrowed eyes, the way that he didn't look at her while he said these words and instead gaze down at Togepi, wagging his fingers at him, told her everything. "Could I have a little cuddle?"
Misty's tune soon changed!
Her legs began flailing as much as Ash and Brock's had initially done as they tried to kick their way out of the net.
"You'll steal him!" Misty roared, forcing Jorginho to take another step back and his head to slowly move from side to side, adjusting his glasses on his face. His gestures spoke that he wouldn't even if he didn't bother to say any words. He didn't say anything for so long that Misty was forced to calm down and consider. "Don't you dare hurt him."
Jorginho took another step closer. He knew that Misty didn't know him, and he figured that she probably didn't know the real James but even she would have to admit that he wouldn't hurt any of her Pokémon, not truly. And she had thought that Jorginho was James. So there had to be that faith. Needed to be.
"I won't." Jorginho answered both of her things with a voice like the flat softness of the picnic blanket that they had all left behind on the floor. While Jessie and Meowth looked at invisible watches on their wrists, Jorginho untucked his penknife from the waistband of the uniform that was not his.
Needless to say, that wasn't usually part of James' outfit! But it wasn't this notion that caused Misty to whimper as the blade flickered in her view.
For a couple of seconds, Jessie and Meowth wondered why they hadn't made him help them steal any other time before. But they soon realized why when all Jorginho did was cut a hole in the rope big enough for Misty to pass Togepi through to him once he had put the pen knife away and held his hands up in the air.
Those hands of his were soon cuddling little Togepi. And Misty must've felt as though that pen knife of Jorginho's had been used for something very awful indeed at the feeling that shot through her when Togepi did not flinch for a single second at being held and bounced against his hip.
Togepi trilled with delight.
Jorginho started to look over at Misty rather than just down at the sweet creature he was enamored by.
"These are truly my most favorite Pokémon of all, and you've done a beautiful job raising yours." Jorginho complimented, leaving Misty wondering if the skin of her cheeks burning was out of fear or otherwise. Ash felt the same as he saw the way that his friend was no longer looking at the stranger quite so harshly. Jorginho bounced Togepi above his head a couple of times before he decided to quit while he was ahead. "There you go. Thank you for letting me meet your little friend."
Togepi let out an entirely different coo of contentment when he was back in the arms of Misty but he did wave to Jorginho when he waved to him. Misty almost let the words you're welcome slip out of her!
However, before she could grow disbelieved at her own change in attitude or could turn to look at where Brock was still quietly contemplating and Ash was looking away with cheeks as red as the corners of his hat, a loud voice decided to fill the air.
Of course, it was Meowth.
"D'ya think you're done making friends with the enemy?!" he raged towards Jorginho who merely turned over his shoulder before casually sauntering back as if he didn't have any place in particular to be and he hadn't run the risk of losing me after only just capturing me!
Jorginho's arms wrapped around his torso as he joined Jessie and Meowth again but then they had to fall apart at the tugging sensation of the shirt material between his shoulders and broad back.
"Yep, I'm done." Jorginho responded coolly, standing between them and taking his glasses off in order to clean them. When the frames were in his hold, something dawned on him. He saw clearer without them than with them! "Hey, we didn't get to do the motto! Do you think we can do it now?"
If Ash, Brock, and Misty hadn't been in the trap then surely, they would have fallen to the floor!
Jessie didn't wish to scuff her knees so didn't. Meowth could not run the risk of losing hold of the remote. Everybody somehow remained standing.
Then, before either of Jessie and Meowth could answer Jorginho, someone joined the three of them and it left Misty feeling delayed and foolish as she remembered that she had believed that he had been there all along!
"You've done a truly terrible job at being me today, what makes you think that you can now replace me during the motto?" James interrogated Jorginho, able to fold his arms over his chest in his black undershirt and mud-stained trousers from the night before.
Jorginho, with glasses then back on his face, threatened to feel very offended indeed. But then, even without looking, he could sense a glint omitting from James.
He was already feeling better with an hour extra nap!
Jorginho didn't refrain from his black gloved hands that were too small for him clasping together with hope.
"Oh, please let me have a go and you can tell me how I can improve!" Jorginho suggested, holding his shoulder back from bumping against James' as he knew that this would work against his favor. His gloved hands, however, remained clasped.
James acted like Jorginho had done such a terrible job at being him but, in hindsight, I can imagine that James would get sidetracked by a sweet Pokémon as well! He went on to act as though he believed that Jorginho would do a terrible job at the motto also.
But he had to give him the go ahead to try.
Eyes revolving in his sockets and a continual concealed smirk, James looked over at Jessie to encourage her to crack on with it. While Meowth truly considered running for the hills with me, Jessie huffed in a manner that said do I have to but then she soon couldn't resist showing off in front of a bigger audience than usual.
She imagined the strobe lighting and a red rose in the gloved hand of Jorginho rather than James.
Jessie put her all into the recitation for the guys' benefit.
"Prepare for trouble!" she shouted out while Ash, Misty and Brock scarcely paid attention and not because they had heard these words a million times before.
My trio of friends had not heard Jorginho's version before.
They soon would as he put his heart and soul into it!
"And make it double!" Jorginho responded, his fingers twitching and his lower lip pouting as if he truly believed he had spun a single red rose from the tips of his fingers to into his pursing lips.
James could not have been more horrified if he had been watching one of Jorginho's favorite horror movies!
His hand shot to his forehead, and he felt the tickling of his own locks now that they were lose. He had been given the permission, so he did not hesitate to tell Jorginho what was what.
"I don't do it like that!" he exclaimed, intending to guide Jorginho in the way that he wished but in the end feeling offended at the mockery. He would go on to be all the more horrified as Jorginho nodded, thinking he knew what James meant, and decided to keep his mouth shut while altering his body language. James found new words to say at Jorginho's newly limp wrist. "And I don't do it like that either!"
Meowth hooted, finally getting distracted enough (or weak in his own wrist enough) to put the boxed remote down on the ground and disagree with James.
"Oh, but you do, Jimmy!" he said. But before he could think of more words to say that no doubt would offend, James had his own words to say and they were for Jorginho and Jorginho alone.
He would deal with Meowth later!
James' hands gestured now that they weren't occupied with touching his own forehead.
"You made me sound like I'm trying to lure Pikachu in for myself and that's just sick and wrong." I had to agree! Jessie didn't want to be caught snorting, but she could not hide all of her amusement even if she held back this particular noise. Jorginho nodded as if he was receiving the best lesson in the world. "Try again."
Jorginho felt like he didn't need Jessie to lead by example this time so cracked on without her before she even had a chance to say her own line and make it better than before.
He focused on the words rather than the body language. That could come later on, he gathered.
"Make it double!" he announced before deciding that he wished to try another sentence out even without Jessie's example or permission. He was looking at James and wanted his approval and his approval only. "To unite all people within the nation!"
James' hand was back on his forehead as if he had a migraine coming on. Although, this time, his spare wasn't loosely by his side and started to ball together and rest on Jorginho's shoulder instead.
He could see that he needed a lot more practice.
"Within our nation." James corrected, losing Jorginho's gaze for half a second before he won it again and he was quietly determined to get things right from then on out. James didn't see it. He almost sympathetically smiled as it was his palm pressed against his shoulder that time. "Have another go."
Even Meowth had to wonder how Ash, Misty and Brock weren't getting sick of the same words over and over again! But he did not look to check why.
Jorginho grunted at himself and looked away when he felt James' touch against him after being so touchy with him during most of their interactions prior. When he looked back at him again, he had no qualms about admitting his insecurity.
"It's the accent, isn't it?" his head swung from side to side, showing that he had tried his best to speak how he did on duties of his own but, for some reason, these words were encouraging the true side of himself to pop out. "That's my downfall, isn't it?"
James suddenly had a very straight spine. He was no longer holding onto Jorginho or himself, but he was surer than ever.
"No!" he disagreed with quite some gusto. Jessie's eyes followed the both of them interacting. "Your accent makes it true to you and that is the most important part." James briefly made contact with him again and his hand gently slapped against the R on his chest that he was wearing. "Have another go."
But Jorginho wouldn't have another go.
It seemed that all four of them were far too caught up in their own antics to realize why Ash, Misty and Brock were not weary with hearing the same words over and over again. They had to realize eventually! And Ash decided that he would be the one to fill them with the truth.
My best friend was surprised that his voice caught all of their attention when the snapping sound of his sneaker against the plastic of the remote control, setting me free after freeing themselves from that Togepi shaped hole in the netting hadn't done.
"If you don't mind, please don't have another go." Ash interrupted. Like his voice was the only voice and the only sound in that particular part of the world, four heads turned. He cockily swiped his finger underneath his nose. "This really is sweet and everythin' but I want to make it to the Pokémon League this side of the year."
Brock smirked and folded his arms across his green vest. Misty stood confidently with her shoes planted against the ground. Togepi was back in her backpack but was peeking over her shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of his new friend.
I was still overjoyed to be free once again! And I was ready!
The Team Rocket gang really had been lost in their own world. They all looked at us cluelessly.
Huh, and we were the dumb ones?!
"What…? How did you…?" both of Jorginho's sentences trailed off and it wasn't because he had been so used to practicing words of a motto that he did not have to recite.
Misty could not help but smirk as cockily as the boy next to her. She looked over at him, knowing that it would be a shame for Togepi's new friend to suffer a fizzing fate, but everybody had to start somewhere, didn't they?
"How about you teach the James replacement what it truly means to be part of their trio?" Misty suggested. As if they were speaking their own kind of secret language, Ash's finger swiped underneath his nose again and he did not even need to look down at me.
His expression glinted like he had swallowed the same weapons that usually gave Meowth his countenance.
"With pleasure, Mist." Ash complied. He cleared his throat. My body was already ready, my cheeks crackling with electricity. Then I heard the fateful words. "Pikachu, use thunderbolt."
And use thunderbolt I did!
Perhaps it was the added excitement of sending another Team Rocket member into orbit or something else entirely. But whatever it was, when I unleashed my attack, it was one more powerful than I had ever set free before. I could feel it from the energy surging from my cheeks. And I could see it from the way that I sent all four of them across the sky!
Jorginho would never wish for his jet pack any longer! And this became perfectly clear to me from the words that I swore that I could hear echoing from the heavens.
Jessie, James and Meowth let out the kind of groans that they usually did, their hair spiking in all directions.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they shrieked in unison.
However, Jorginho, as much as he had previously longed to be part of some of their rituals, did not join in with these words. And his limbs didn't flail around in all directions like theirs did as he spun through the sky with his friends.
Instead, he beamed! He erupted with laughter! He twisted himself into a seated position in mid air and shut his eyes, enjoying every minute of the ride.
"I don't know what you guys are complaining about, this is the best thing ever!" he let his opinion be known. And as for Jessie, James and Meowth, they were far too busy being filled with the kind of shock that was not from me to find the words in order to respond. "Ah, now this is what you call a proper Pikachu plane ticket."
And with that, I stopped hearing words and heard that oh so familiar glint instead!
Ash, Misty, Brock, and I were free to continue with our day. Another mission over. No doubt would we see them all again tomorrow, or perhaps even later on in the day.
I remember chuckling to myself as I leapt onto my best friend's shoulder as our gang of close friends prepared to travel the path that was meant for us.
As much as we filled each other with bewilderment and disdain and occasionally fury, even back then I knew with a feeling rather than with actual words that we looked forward to bumping into each other.
In a world full of uncertainty, it was nice that some things were certain.
We would always bump into Team Rocket. They would always surprise us. Ash would continue being rambunctious and achieve every one of his dreams. Misty would continue to grow into the person that she was always meant to be, someone that made even herself proud. Brock would continue to heal more than just the people close by with his kindness.
As for me, well, back then I believed that my purpose was to travel and battle. Now I realize that that was just one of my many purposes.
Sure, recounting tales is still one of them, but is it ever just that?
No, I believe that my main one is to be open. And to listen.
Without that, I never would have gotten to know all of the people close to my heart. I never would have gotten to know that pesky Team Rocket trio and Jorginho too.
No matter how predictably annoying we can all be sometimes, I know one thing absolutely for certain:
Our stories can never truly end. They get passed on like this and they get passed on through word of mouth and will continue to go on and on forever.
I just feel very lucky to be part of any story at all. And I know they all feel the same. Every single one of them.
The End.
There you go, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :) I had such a laugh with this one. It's not often that I choose to write something completely light and foolish so I had fun! It was great to capture Jorginho in this - his dynamic with the TRio on their duties and interacting with the twerps too, especially Misty and her Togepi. This chapter is many ingredients of many different inspirations as my chapters often are. The Misty thinking Jorginho wearing a disguise thing came from me and Shannon just having a laugh during a conversation about Jorginho! And him trying his hardest to get James' part of the motto right was inspired by a deleted scene in the movie The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent where the fan boy character of Javi tries to do an impression of Nicolas Cage - to Nic Cage playing a version of himself! I love seeing all the things that make up a chapter :) Thanks again for reading and I will be back again on Wednesday so see you then!
Amy signing out :)